More municipalities are joining the green movement right now, but efforts to reduce energy costs and lower consumption of foreign oil won't work unless everybody is on board, Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos said today at the Green Building Focus Conference & Expo in Birmingham.

Hoover began using alternative fuels in its municipal fleet six years ago, Petelos said, and now has 196 cars using ethanol and 161 cars and trucks powered by biodiesel. The city also recycles cooking oil, a program that has prevented 32,000 gallons of cooking oil from being dumped in the county's land fills, he said.

The Green Building Focus Conference concludes Friday with several workshops and a business expo featuring 150 vendors selling environmentally friendly products and services. It is organized by James Smith, CEO of Birmingham-based Green Building Focus.